N O P A R T O F I T

Far more important than baking bread is the urge to take dough -beating to the extreme - Otto Muehl

Friday, March 13, 2020

Interview Series #13: One-Eyed Zatoichi

Scheduled on March 6, 2019One-Eyed Zatoichi is a preferred nomenclature from the spearhead of a noise project called Thirteen Hurts, which also has a leg of it separately titled "13Hz" for his modular work, as I understand it. I think it's important to note, because I remember being told that there are no other sources beyond pedals for Thirteen Hurts, but to some, it does sound like a synthesizer is in there somewhere. I met OEZ in Denver several times and again in St. Petersburg, Florida, in which case he drove 2,000 miles to play for 15 minutes at a noise fest. At that time, he lived in some sort of solar-powered dome within the guts of Colorado foothills, six hours from any sort of civilization. I've seen noise artists with too many pedals, and OEZ has more than those dudes, but he has a bizarre precision and intent with his performances. They are cinematic and rowdy in nature. Of course, he has a release on NO PART OF IT, but his previous two releases are also pretty starkly placed within the realm of what I'd want from a pedal noise/"heavy electronics" artist. I also find his work to be unique in that I am taken to a specific abstract place when listening to it-- it has substance (which I regularly find off-putting in harsh noise releases) that suggests an intention and would be fitting for some sort of UFO hunter or a person digging around in tunnels looking for reptilians. What I mean here, is not necessarily do I think OEZ is into that kind of thing, but I find his sounds to be inherently visual/exploratory in a way that I don't come across much. It is entirely coincidental that this is the 13th interview in the series, by the way.

1.
What types of things have you been getting into lately?

I’ve
set aside the majority of 2019 to revisit a batch of demo recordings
I did about 25 years ago with a singer. Those days were my last-ditch
efforts in an attempt to be in a band and perform live, but all of
that collapsed and I gave up on the project. I continued to listen to
the demos over the years and had always wanted to re-record
everything, get it mixed and mastered and be able to say that at
least I finished a project. This stuff was recorded before it was
common to record on hard drives, everything was recorded onto a
Tascam 388 8-Track machine. The plan is to put everything I can into
this, re-writing parts, recording the instrumentation over and
editing the vocals parts until I am satisfied and can move on from
this project. The singer passed away in 2011, so the vocal tracks
that I have are all I will be able to work with.

2.
What you do, do you do it as an artist, or is it a hobby?

I’d
have to say more as an artist, since the exploration never stops, the
interest in moving forward impels me to improve so that I can get to
the next level. I believe that if my endeavors were a hobby, I’d be
more content with what I have achieved.

3. How
would you describe what you do?

Pretty much fuck-off the majority
of the time. At my age, I can look back in sadness at the wasted
years… the wasted decades and see the light at the end of the
tunnel in terms of how many years I have left to callously throw
away. This is my biggest hurdle at this time, to learn how to utilize
every moment I have and maximize whatever pleasure or satisfaction I
can glean from the remaining time I have. However, when I am doing
something that I would consider creative or interesting, that usually
means getting back into oil painting or plunking around on keyboards,
always writing musical ideas down and daydreaming of a new project. I
consider myself one of the laziest procrastinators that I know. This
having been said, I have finished projects in the past, for example
the Thirteen Hurts noise recordings and I am extremely satisfied with
how those came out. And the live noise shows too. I don’t practice
noise, I just prepare for a show a few weeks ahead or set things up
if I need to record something. I’m quite good at wasting time, of
which I have very little to waste.

4. How would
you describe your creative progression over the years, in a brief
synopsis?

I started out oil painting in my early teens, then
started playing piano and keyboards around the age of 15, focusing on
Jazz and Fusion, which was the real shit at the time. I was in a
handful of bands, mostly Rock, Funk and New Wave, and then I focused
on finding a female vocalist to create a “shoe-gaze” or Cocteau
Twins style band. After that, I focused on experimental and noise but
could not figure out how to proceed. Eventually I got it figured out
and did that (still am) for a handful of years. Now, I’ve
temporarily switched gears to working on my old recordings so I can
finally have a “catalog” of music I’ve worked on over the
years. But I do need to mention that the painting and some
photography came and went, interspersed within the musical projects
over the decades. And I’m still looking for a female
vocalist……

5. How would you describe your
philosophy?

I don't adhere to or study any Western Philosophies,
I've always gravitated toward Eastern Philosophies, specifically
Japanese. When I was a young teenager and a Bruce Lee fan, I studied
Karate for a few years. I was also completely enamored with Samurai
films shown in Japantown in San Francisco. Remember, I'm old. So
there was no internet, no one even had a basic VCR at the time. If
you wanted to see a film, you had to go to the theater or watch one
on TV with commercials (pre-HBO). Around the age of 15, my Karate
instructor gave me a book titled “Bushido, the Soul of Japan” by
Nitobe. Sure, slicing off heads was cool, but this was a book that
dug into samurai philosophy, something my small pea-brain had a
difficult time grasping. But something there spoke to me deeply and
has been ingrained in me ever since. I also delved into Miyamoto
Musashi's Book of Five Rings. Those two books influenced and shaped
me in a way that is still there to this day. And at a subconscious
depth, also one reason why I was a lonely, single person until well
into my 30's. Shit, I'm not single anymore, but I'm still lonely.
Maybe that's a philosophy.

6. Do you believe in
psychics, magic, ghosts, or gods?

I haven’t bumped into any
that have impressed me to the point of making me want to believe. A
friend and I did go to a few senior homes with our recording
equipment (audio and video) in the wee hours of the morning as these
places were reported to be rampant with the ghosts or spirits of the
tenants that passed away. We never came upon any paranormal activity
though different residents told us of seeing the same “ghosts”,
usually right as they got up and arrived at the dining area. I'm not
intimately in tune with the human side of phenomena, I have more of a
nature-loving speck-of-sand type awareness.

7. What
would you say was your most definitive experience?

Climbing the
cliffs at the north west edge of San Francisco. There was an enticing
chasm or inlet of cliffs that looked like a challenge to conquer. I
started at a low spot and began to vertically climb upwards and
outwards. I scrambled out too far and the soil under my hands started
to give way. Looking straight down, all I saw were jagged rocks and
waves crashing onto those. Basically, instant death. I looked over my
shoulder and across the way, people were starting to stand up and
look at me. I got really scared, the most scared I’ve ever been. As
I grew weaker from the effort, I froze in place wondering how I was
going to get out of this predicament. I kept having to change my grip
as the soil was turning soft and muddy. I called out to anyone above
me on the top, but the effort of calling out caused my body to heave
and move to the point of losing my grip. I was suddenly overcome with
the fact that I could possibly die here. This was the first and only
time in my life I truly prayed. A deep, meaningful prayer. More of a
calling out to whatever supreme being might be looking over me at
that moment. I don’t remember the exact words I was thinking at the
time, but I have never felt so scared yet also accepting that if I
fell, I would be ok with it. I was with a friend’s wife and I kept
thinking about how she will wonder where I wandered off to. It was
actually the thought of her that gave me that last impetus of effort
to grab a clump of weeds growing out of the cliffside. That in turn
led to another handful and foothold, and another until I clawed my
way to the top. My heart was pounding, I almost passed out. I looked
back across the chasm and some onlookers were still shielding their
eyes from the sun, a few turning away in disappointment. I had
climbed hundreds of cliffs in my youth all along the beaches of the
SF Bay Area, but this one experience ended any and all interest in
ever doing that again. After this, I realized that I wasn’t
invincible, that I wasn’t going to conquer the world. There have
been other experiences that could be considered definitive, but
almost giving in to death tops my list.

8. Do you have any side
projects that I am not aware of?

No, nothing ongoing besides the
vocalist recordings I'm currently involved with. There is the Modular
Synthesizer stuff, but that is so sporadic and fragmented, I wouldn't
consider it a side project.

If not, what is something you'd like
people to know about you, that you don't think anyone would ever ask?

Nothing really. My days of grandstanding and wanting to be noticed
are well behind me and I make concerted efforts to keep that in
check. It is frustrating, though, that my ego, which is the size of
Texas, still rears its ugly head now and then.

9. Would
you care to name any theoretical "desert island" records,
or at least releases that you think are approaching your concept of
"perfect"?

Desert Island records would make me
select musical favorites that I love. When you say “perfect”, I
immediately consider production quality as well as musical
performance, which cuts out some I would consider as a “favorite”.
It is almost impossible without making a list containing dozens if
not hundreds of releases. But the pressure is on, so here is a
hodge-podge selection limited to the proverbial 10 releases: The
Dreaming – Kate Bush, The Walking – Jane Siberry, Blue Bell Knoll
– Cocteau Twins, Loveless – My Bloody Valentine, Birds of Fire –
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Romantic Warrior - Return to Forever, Silver
Apples of the Moon – Morton Subotnik, Dark Side of the Moon - Pink
Floyd, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles, which I
know you are not a fan of. But the most recent release that has been
remastered by Giles Martin (George's son) is aces. And last but not
least, Pulse Demon – Merzbow. To clear out the cobwebs. But there
are zillions of others, even a few opera pieces that always bring
tears to my eyes from their sheer beauty. I know you didn't ask this,
but one of my continuing thoughts is this: I love to listen to music
and have so many favorites from so many different genres. What will
be the last song I listen to before I die? When my body is shutting
down and I am no longer responsive, should I request that someone put
some headphones on me so I can still hear (if I can hear) some music?
What should I request be put on? For some reason, the answer to these
questions have become an obsession with me.

10. What
is the earliest childhood memory you can recall?

I’ve
recalled this memory decades ago and it is while I was still in a
crib, probably 2 or 3 years old. The lights were out in the room,
with the door partway open and the hallway light on. I was looking up
at the ceiling, past the stupid mobile thing that everyone seemed to
think I liked. I remember the walls being a pale green and someone
coming in the room to check on me.

11. Are you able
to appreciate other peoples' creative work regardless of their
personal shortcomings or inherent flaws?To what
extent?

I have no issues whatsoever appreciating anyone’s
creative work, as long as I find it interesting enough to explore.
What someone does in their personal life or believes in is not a
concern of mine. An example would be Charles Cohen and his work with
the Buchla Easel Synthesizer. I deeply admire his efforts on that
instrument but have zero interest in his personal life. I know on a
couple of forums, people have shunned him and his work due to his
personal issues. Yeah, he’s not someone I would have hung out with,
but that doesn’t stop me from admiring his artistic talent. Another
example would be Chick Corea. I love his playing and writing, a true
master of his instrument. But that Scientology stuff? Not for me, but
I still listen to his work.

12. Do you have any
heroes or heroines?

Just musical and artistic heroes. John Mclaughlin, Elizabeth Frazier and Robin Guthrie,
Glenn Gould, Thelonious Monk, Jaco Pastorius … in the art world, I
would consider Jackson Pollock, Paul Klee, Joan Miro, Mark Rothko,
Claude Monet and Van Gogh heroes of mine. I would also consider Jack
Kerouac and Neal Cassady two heroes of mine as they taught me the
importance of road trips and the adventures you can experience.

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NO PART OF IT logo courtesy of Christopher ILTH

NOPE

NO PART OF IT is a "private label" of sorts, headed by Arvo Zylo in secret.

It was kicked off in 2008 with a locked groove 7 inch compilation called "Trunculence" featuring Nurse with Wound, Dave Phillips, Crash Worship, To Live and Shave in L.A., Anakrid, SIXES, and more. 55 artists in total. The initial aim of the label is to release products of active imagination, rather than attention-starved gimmicks, and generally focuses on the work of conceptually isolated, visionary individuals.

About Me

BIO

SHORT:

Active since 2000. Experimental sound structures wavering around industrial noise territory, often characterized by excessive layering of similar direct sources/samples, or constant integration of a YAMAHA RM1X Sequencer.

Recent work has been more performative and based on mic'ed objects, including group ensembles, primal / conceptual vocal work, and soundtrack-oriented premises.

LONG:

Arvo Zylo has been making experimental music that wavers around but is undeniably anchored in the vein of industrial noise, since the year 2000. He works under his own name as well as under the collaborative umbrella moniker "Blood Rhythms".

Zylo started out having no previous knowledge about experimental music, with a primitive sequencer, where he'd destroy presets and cause malfunctions as a primary source of compositional inspiration. His work has evolved to fetishize extreme layering, repetition, raw material action, feedback, human/animal/onomatopoeia sounds, and naturally abrasive elements without the use of effects pedals.

Arvo Zylo has toured the midwest numerous times, as well as being featured at Denver Noise Fest four times, Dead Audio Fest in Houston (2010), St. Louis Fest (2010), Heavy Focus (Minneapolis, 2010), St. Petersburg Noise Fest 2013, Indiana Noise Fest 2013 and 2014. Radio stations he's been interviewed or featured on include WFMU (New Jersey), WZRD (Chicago), WCSB (Cleveland), and WKCR (New York).

In terms of recorded output, both under his own name and under the Blood Rhythms project, he has done split releases with GX Jupitter-Larsen, Le Scrambled Debutante, TOMB, and Death Factory. Some releases have been produced by such outfits as Locrian's private label Land of Decay, Banned Productions headed by AMK, Phage Tapes, Spleencoffin, OUT-OF-BODY RECORDS (headed by Rob of Terminator 2 and FILTH), and others. A handful of collaborators that Zylo has been involved with include Daniel Burke (Illusion of Safety), renowned collage artist Christopher Ilth (ex Daily Void), German Dadaists Kommissar Hjuler und Mama Baer, "avant-industrial gospel" band ONO, and industrial noise veteran Christopher Turner (Nookleptia).

Blood Rhythms has featured either live or recorded contributions from Bruce Lamont (Corrections House, Bloodiest, Yakuza), Ben Billington (Tiger Hatchery, Quicksails), Mike Weis (Zelienople), Alejandro Morales (Piss Piss Piss Moan Moan Moan, RUNNING), Clayton Counts (Bull of Heaven, the Beachles), the aforementioned GX Jupitter-Larsen (the Haters), Elizabeth Floersch (Fatale), and members of the entire band ONO, to be short.

Previous group incarnations started off being based around the concept of playing layers of live brass instruments in a drone fashion with as many live players as possible, but it evolved to incorporate junk metal, prepared guitar, tape loops, power tools, and synthesizers.

People have remarked that Zylo's releases are always very different, but his most representative solo release is "333". There are now over 700 copies in existence, and it took 6 years for him to complete it.

Some select quotes about "333":

"...this recording feels like it had to be made, and it transcends its limited equipment resources as if the music couldn't be stopped..."

"....Arvo Zylo's work is often the product of literal years of toil, the potent result of countless hours refining, perfecting, and focusing wild energies. Projects like his "333" and "Assembly" feel more like they've been finished in a metal refinery than a mastering house, their labyrinthine vertical layers chosen and fixed in place with firm force."

"First, I was really focused on the intensely constructed sequenced structure - then, today, I was struck by the more organic components that seem to grow around the more rigid parts. It is an intense listen, for sure. "

Mark Solotroff (Bloodyminded, Anatomy of Habit, Intrinsic Action)

"A technicolor nightmare..." "...A cyber punk thrill ride" "...totally assaulting music without actually relinquishing the conventional rules of what music should be."

Having been active in live venues for experimental music and noise since 2003, Zylo at one time ran or co hosted two separate weekly experimental showcases, aside from several well received one-off events and warehouse parties. He's been writing on the subject of sound art periodically since around 2006, having written for Roctober, Special Interests, Heathen Harvest, WFMU's Beware of the Blog, Chicago's NewCity, and others. Arvo's "Delirious Insomniac Freeform Radio Show", which ran for 7 years on WLUW, has afforded him the rare opportunities to interview Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, J.G. Thirlwell (Foetus), and several other luminous characters of widely varying backgrounds.

"NO PART OF IT" is a label that kicked off in 2008 with a 7 inch compilation (titled "Trunculence") of 100 locked grooves by 55 artists. Some of those artists were Nurse With Wound, Crash Worship, Helios Creed, Black Leather Jesus, Anakrid, dave phillips, and Sudden Infant.

Aside from personal releases, the label has released a CD compilation celebrating the 4th anniversary of Arvo's radio program (active on WLUW 2007-2014), The Delirious Insomniac Freeform Radio Show. Before that, Zylo was a regular clandestine DJ at WZRD between 2004 and 2007, and continues to make irregular appearances there. "Delirious Music For Delirious People" included songs by Controlled Bleeding, Zola Jesus, Pharmakon, Gary Wilson, Haunted George, Big City Orchestra, Rancid Hell Spawn, WOLD, and more within its 23 tracks.

NO PART OF IT went "off-the-grid" for a couple of years, (there are some releases that sold out without any representation on the internet, we are pleased to say) selling only by xerox newsletters and money orders, but is now back on "the digital scene". (Bandcamp)

On September 9th, 2011, Arvo Fingers and WLUW celebrated the 4th Anniversary of the Delirious Insomniac Freeform Radio Show as well as the release of the first volume of "Delirious Music For Delirious People", a compilation featuring Jarboe, Controlled Bleeding, Zola Jesus, Boyd Rice and Friends, Gary Wilson, BeNe GeSSeRiT, Big City Orchestra, Hans Grusel's Krankenkabinet, and others.